Whether your hard drive is healthy can be detected by system tools and third-party software. 1. Use Windows' chkdsk to scan and fix errors and bad channels, but only for basic detection; 2. Check SMART data (such as CrystalDiskInfo or Disk Utility) to understand the power-on time, temperature and error records, and if the status prompts abnormality, you need to prepare for a disk change; 3. Use third-party tools such as HD Tune or Victoria to perform in-depth stress tests, pay attention to avoid misuse of write mode; 4. If the operation slows down, frequent lags or abnormal noises occur in daily life, it may be a precursor to hard disk failure, and the data should be backed up immediately.

Want to know if your hard drive is still "working healthily"? In fact, you can judge without disassembling the machine. Both Windows and macOS have their own tools, which can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the hard disk status with third-party software.

1. Use the system-owned tools: Windows disk check

Windows comes with a tool called chkdsk , which can scan and repair file system errors and check for bad channels. Open a command prompt (run as administrator) and enter:

 chkdsk C: /f /r

• /f is the fix error
• /r is to find bad sectors and restore readable information

After execution, the system will tell you if there is any problem. However, this method can only perform basic testing and cannot display detailed health data of the hard disk.

2. View SMART data: Understand the true life of the hard disk

SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a built-in self-test technology for hard disks, which can tell you key indicators such as hard disk usage time, temperature, error recording, etc.

Several commonly used tools are recommended:

• CrystalDiskInfo (Windows)
• DriveDx or Disk Utility (macOS)

After opening these software, you will see a bunch of parameters, such as:

• Reallocated Sector Count (remap sector count) - Too high means that there is a problem with the hard disk
• Power On Hours (Power-on time) – reflects the service life
• Temperature - Long-term high temperature will affect life

If “Caution” or “Bad” appears in the status bar, you need to prepare to change the disk.

3. Third-party software depth detection: HD Tune or Victoria

If you think the previous method is not intuitive enough, you can use some professional third-party tools to perform stress testing.

for example:

• HD Tune (Windows) : Can measure reading speed, health status, error scanning
• Victoria (Windows) : Suitable for users who want to deeply view the surface status of the hard disk, and supports low-level detection

It is recommended to select the "Read" mode to scan it first. It is not recommended to use the "Write" mode casually, as it is easy to damage data.

4. Pay attention to daily signals: abnormal sounds and slow reactions

In addition to software detection, you should also pay attention to some common phenomena:

• Significantly slowed when starting or opening a file
• Frequent lags or no cause crash
• Hearing a click or abnormal noise (especially mechanical hard drives)

These may be signs that the hard drive is about to hang up. Once discovered, hurry up and back up important data.

Basically these are the methods. Check it regularly and don’t wait until you can’t turn it on suddenly and regret not starting earlier.

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